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Second opinion?

Maryjames

Maryjames

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
157
Reaction score
112
Points
305
Location
Hampshire, UK
Hi Guys. You were all so helpful last time so I'm hoping you can come through for me again. So Pickles has lost her hair and a bit of weight. We know she has a fibroid cyst. Pets at home Vets said she should be spayed but warned me that due to her age (4.5 years old) she might have a problem with anesthesia and well you know what else. I didn't feel right about this and took her to another vets who take care of small furries and that vet said to leave it be. She said they probably won't grow any bigger and why risk surgery. She said if she's eating and drinking then leave it. Lately I've notice her sleeping more and she lost some more weight (about an ounce) still eating and drinking. What should I do? I'm at a loss with these two opinions.
 
There are plenty of people on here who have had their piggies spayed at 4 years old and older who have sailed through surgery.

My late Emma had an ovarian cyst. It was causing her no problems so we decided to leave it. But she was nearly 6 years old and had cancer
 
Claire W said:
There are plenty of people on here who have had their piggies spayed at 4 years old and older who have sailed through surgery.

My late Emma had an ovarian cyst. It was causing her no problems so we decided to leave it. But she was nearly 6 years old and had cancer
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How do you know a guinea pig has cancer?
 
I’ve had older sows spayed on health grounds and they have sailed through the procedure. However, I am lucky to have excellent vets. Have you checked out any of the recommended vets on our vet locator?
 
Betsy had to have an emergency spay in the middle of Lockdown due to ovarian cysts. They were so large even I could feel them. She screamed every time she was picked up, spent most of the time in one place, was a moody cow, had elongated and crusty nipples and lost a lot of fur so looked a scraggly little madam. I was worried that the cysts would burst. She was just over 4 years old when she had the op. She sailed through it. She is now back to the beautiful girl that she was. At cuddletime tonight she just melted straight into a puddle.:wub:

Betsy Ovarian Cysts?
 
It's never bad to ask a second opinion and to weigh the pros and cons of any procedure. One thing to consider- at 4.5 years old she will have an easier time than a major operation than she will at an older age, should the situation change over time. She is never going to be younger/fitter for surgery than she is now, know what I mean? Just something else to consider. Unfortunately there's no clear 'right' solution, you have to talk to your vet and see ultimately what you are the most comfortable with.
 
VickiA said:
I’ve had older sows spayed on health grounds and they have sailed through the procedure. However, I am lucky to have excellent vets. Have you checked out any of the recommended vets on our vet locator?
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I have. None are in my area of Hampshire.
 
Freela said:
It's never bad to ask a second opinion and to weigh the pros and cons of any procedure. One thing to consider- at 4.5 years old she will have an easier time than a major operation than she will at an older age, should the situation change over time. She is never going to be younger/fitter for surgery than she is now, know what I mean? Just something else to consider. Unfortunately there's no clear 'right' solution, you have to talk to your vet and see ultimately what you are the most comfortable with.
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Yes you are so right. I have an appointment with a woman called Sandra at the Vets located at Pets at home in Salisbury. Has anyone ever dealt with her?
 
Maryjames said:
Hi Guys. You were all so helpful last time so I'm hoping you can come through for me again. So Pickles has lost her hair and a bit of weight. We know she has a fibroid cyst. Pets at home Vets said she should be spayed but warned me that due to her age (4.5 years old) she might have a problem with anesthesia and well you know what else. I didn't feel right about this and took her to another vets who take care of small furries and that vet said to leave it be. She said they probably won't grow any bigger and why risk surgery. She said if she's eating and drinking then leave it. Lately I've notice her sleeping more and she lost some more weight (about an ounce) still eating and drinking. What should I do? I'm at a loss with these two opinions.
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I went through the same thing with my piggy last year ( same age as yours ) I ended up doing hormone injections ( 2 rounds ) and that took care of the problem right away. Good luck ! 💕
 
Bigheartlittlefeet said:
I went through the same thing with my piggy last year ( same age as yours ) I ended up doing hormone injections ( 2 rounds ) and that took care of the problem right away. Good luck ! 💕
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Hi there. Can I ask what vet you used? Everyone I spoke to won't do the hormone injections. I have no idea why.
 
I don’t know what part of Hampshire you’re in but if you’re anywhere near Swindon I highly recommend Drove Veterinary Hospital.
I used to live in Marlborough and went to them.
They spayed 2 of my piggies - one as an emergency when she went in for an abscess removal and fast growing cysts were discovered.
Jemimah was over 3 years old and sailed through the double surgery.

Holding you in my thoughts
 
I can recommend a good piggie vet in Poole. That's not too far away from Fordingbridge. Rachel Tucker is at Vets4Pets at Poole Holes Bay. She gave Betsy her emergency spay and also saved the life of Christian before she moved there. Rachel is a very good vet. She was at my old Vets4Pets in Eastleigh and she moved down to Poole Holes Bay a couple of years ago. She is the only reason I go to the Vets4Pets at Poole Holes Bay.
 
Thank you so much. I will call her first thing tomorrow. Pickles has lost weight and is eating and drinking but still not her happy self. She just sort of lays in her bed all day. She doesn’t seem to be in pain but the weight loss has me worried so I think I am going to have her spayed. I’m worried this is only going to get worse. The vets that I had the second opinion with told me to do nothing but with the weight loss of three ounces that’s big. 🙁 How long did it take to recover from the surgery. You mentioned you had two that she did surgery for. Were they both spayed?
 
Betsy took about a week to recover from her spay and Christian had a mahoosive abscess removed that was adhered to most of his internal organs.

This is the size of the abscess that Rachel removed.

Christian Abscess 1.webpChristian Abscess 2.webp
 
😮 oh my word. That is amazing. I'm so happy your babies are ok. Any special instructions for aftercare? Food, bedding, etc? Will they put a color on so they don't tear out the stitches?
 
No a collar isn't necessary for a piggy. Mine never pulled out the stitches. A vet that even suggests putting a collar on a guinea pig really doesn't know what they are talking about!
 
The vet/vet nurses will give you all the info on aftercare. You will probably have to syringe feed for a couple of days after the operation. There is a guide on how to do this but I can't link it in on this device.
 
Betsy said:
The vet/vet nurses will give you all the info on aftercare. You will probably have to syringe feed for a couple of days after the operation. There is a guide on how to do this but I can't link it in on this device.
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Hey just wanted to give you an update. First of all THANK YOU for referring this wonderful vet Rachel. I just got back from seeing her and she is going to operate on Pickles this coming Wednesday. I told her I was referred by you and not only did she remember you but she remembered your guinea pigs name. Isn't that amazing? She confirmed that she has two ovarian cysts and one of them was 2cm, which is pretty big so she wants to do a spay. She does hormone treatments and spoke to me about all the treatments but said that the hormone treatments only last awhile and I didn't want to put Pickles through all of that. She explained the surgery and it really eased my mind because she took the mystery out of it. Now I know what to expect and how to care for her and I feel so much better. Please keep us in your prayers for all good things to come on Wednesday. Thank you again. This site is so so helpful.
 
Maryjames said:
Hey just wanted to give you an update. First of all THANK YOU for referring this wonderful vet Rachel. I just got back from seeing her and she is going to operate on Pickles this coming Wednesday. I told her I was referred by you and not only did she remember you but she remembered your guinea pigs name. Isn't that amazing? She confirmed that she has two ovarian cysts and one of them was 2cm, which is pretty big so she wants to do a spay. She does hormone treatments and spoke to me about all the treatments but said that the hormone treatments only last awhile and I didn't want to put Pickles through all of that. She explained the surgery and it really eased my mind because she took the mystery out of it. Now I know what to expect and how to care for her and I feel so much better. Please keep us in your prayers for all good things to come on Wednesday. Thank you again. This site is so so helpful.
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I'm so pleased you liked Rachel too! My piggies have been seeing her for over 4 years. She knows all of them very well. She also knows I am a member of this forum and is amazed that I am so informed on certain aspects of piggyness that a lot of people don't know about. It's all because of this forum. You learn so much from other people and their experiences.
 
Sending good wishes for Pickles! Please keep us posted and hope everything goes smoothly and she is soon back to her usual self!
 
So Pickles is home now and she had a successful spay. She is eating and doing well. I just gave her the pain medication and her gut medication? I think that’s what it’s called. To stimulate her intestines. She is resting comfortably. I will be checking on her through the night and she has a follow up on Friday. A HUGE thank you to all of you for your expert advice. I was one nervous mama. You all put my mind at ease and I’m so grateful for your support. Special thanks to Jacky. (Betsey) Thank you for recommending Rachel Tucker at Vets4Pets in Poole. She was amazing and so skilled with guinea pigs. I couldn’t be happier. Big hugs 🤗 to all 🙏🙏🙏
 
Maryjames said:
So Pickles is home now and she had a successful spay. She is eating and doing well. I just gave her the pain medication and her gut medication? I think that’s what it’s called. To stimulate her intestines. She is resting comfortably. I will be checking on her through the night and she has a follow up on Friday. A HUGE thank you to all of you for your expert advice. I was one nervous mama. You all put my mind at ease and I’m so grateful for your support. Special thanks to Jacky. (Betsey) Thank you for recommending Rachel Tucker at Vets4Pets in Poole. She was amazing and so skilled with guinea pigs. I couldn’t be happier. Big hugs 🤗 to all 🙏🙏🙏
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I am so glad Pickles is home :)
 
Betsy said:
I've found the syringe feeding guide for you for after your piggy has had her spay.

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

It's really easy to follow.

Also you may find this thread helpful too.

Today's instructional video on our Facebook page - Syringe feeding
[/QUOT
Hi Jacky. Hope you are having a good day despite the wild weather😃 so I haven’t had to syringe feed Pickles as she just carried on eating as normal. I removed the platform in her cage because I didn’t want her jumping. so you think I should feed her more? She’s eating her kibble, vegetables and grass. Thanks so much
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